Wedding flowers by Scarlet Petal Florist Chicago, IL

Flowers Defined: Where am I?

I'm just about to wrap up a little getaway and am thoroughly inspired by all the natural surroundings of my trip. I thought it might be fun to post a few photos to see if anyone might guess where I went...

Ate here Saturday night

 

Beautiful cypress trees

Unbelievable kangaroo paw!!

 
Out of this world succulents!!

If only we had these growing in our backyards, Chicago would be an even better place. Luckily, we can fly these beauties in for your big day (and no, it's not going to cost you fortune). Here are a couple bouquets for you to see with the flowers above incorporated into the mix.

Succulents, Feathers, Baby's Breath - Photo by John Klewer

Kangaroo Paw, Freesia, Roses, Hydrangea, Brunia Berries, Ranunculus, Hypericum Berries, Calla Lilies

 

 

 

 

Seasonal Flowers: Summer

Summertime in Chicago is wedding season. The snow is scarce and the leaves are still on the trees (sure makes for some nice pictures!).

When it comes to flowers, we can actually find local growers who supply us with the most beautiful blooms. It's a great time to be eco-friendly and support our local farms. You can even pick some up at your local farmers market. Click here for a list of markets.

For those of you getting married this month, ask your florist to source one of the following Illinois flowers for your special day:

Flowers from left to right: plume celosia, brain celosia, sunflower, gomphrena, seedum, hanging amaranthus, ornamental millet, ninebark, coleus, and viburnum - high bush

Seasonal Flowers: Spring time!!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day. It was such a beautiful day! Everywhere I looked some special mommy was carrying or wearing a pretty bloom.

I absolutely LOVE spring flowers. Favorite blooms like ranunculus and tulips are at their peak! For those that are searching for in-season blooms for their wedding next spring, here are a few pretty bouquet combinations to consider:

Parrot, Double, and Fringed Tulips

Ranunculus, Freesia, and Dutch Tulips

Frilly Sweet Peas

Coral Peonies

Lily of the Valley, Sweet Peas, Bupleurum

 

Credits: reception-wedding.com,marthastewartweddings.com, weddingbee.com,giacanali.com,w-weddingflowers.com

 

 

Seasonal February Flowers

A few weeks back I started our monthly overview of our favorite seasonal flowers.  Because so many of you are interested in what options are available on your wedding day, we thought it would be worth providing some additional insight into the selection process.

It’s hard to imagine, but February in the flower world is the beginning of Spring! Most bulb plants like hyacinth, daffodils, and tulips are at the height of their season. When you walk into the big coolers at our local flower markets you can just smell the sweet aroma of these fragrant blooms!

Here are a few photos of inspiration for all of you to enjoy.

 

  Photos Courtesy of Martha Stewart, Manola for the Brides, and The Knot.com

Rain, Rain, go away...

Looking out the window today can make you feel kind of blah. There are broken tree branches all over our front lawn (must have been a rough storm last night) and big mud puddles in the street. At least our new azalea plant is getting some much needed water.

How about a little sunshine! Sunshine in the flower world = craspedia (often referred to as billly balls). They're bright little yellow balls, always arriving perfect in shape and color. They're available year round and we just love working with them!

Here are a few sunny "postcards" I'm sending your way. Happy Friday!

 

Photo Credits: flowerbasket.com;meredith.com;inbloomeventdesign.com

Great Find: Turquoise Glass

For those of you that haven't visited our studio, you may be surprised when you arrive. From the outside, it looks like a doorway leading into an old, dilapidated building.  From the inside, we're actually tucked away behind one of the biggest floral wholesalers in the city of Chicago, Kennicott's.

Our entrance happens to be in an alley (not extremely inviting), but the convenience and accessibility of our location can't be beat. All we have to do is stroll down the hallway right into the doors of a flower heaven! What's even better, we're also connected to their supply side (everything beyond flowers like vessels, containers, props, etc...). Whenever they receive new product we're usually one of the first to see it.

Jen V. and I were strolling through the aisles the other day and came upon these little glass beauties.

Who could miss their gorgeous color? We ended up holding off on yet another impulse buy, but when I arrived in early yesterday morning for our recap meeting these were sitting on our table!! Jenny ended up using them for a trend setting feature on WCIU Chicago. I'm happy to say that we are now the proud owners of these little babies!

Those pretty little dainty flowers she used are ranunculus. Don't count on them always coming in this large - they happen to be in season. On the off season (late summer into fall) they look more like this. They come in all sorts of vibrant colors like yellow, orange, fuchsia, red, peach, and purple.

Enjoy!